Roads satisfactions rating dives
15:44, 21 April 2011
Potholes and quick-fix maintenance has left people dissatisfied with the state of UK roads, shows a recent survey from the Institution of Civil Engineers.
Figures from the poll show that less than a third of people are happy and the 32 per cent satisfaction figure compares with 62 per cent who were happy with the roads when the ICE polls started in December 2008.
The latest figure is also well down on the 50 per cent satisfaction figure in a survey covering the last three months of 2010.
The recent poll of 2,050 adults demonstrates that satisfaction with public transport services has also fallen from 63 per cent in the last three months of last year to 52 per cent.
The ICE said much of the dissatisfaction with the roads was due to the proliferation of potholes caused by the severe early-winter weather.
ICE vice president Geoff French said that the extra government money was welcome but did not "equate to much when spread across a large number of authorities.
"The funding shortfall inevitably leads to a maintenance backlog and puts councils under immense pressure to deal with the problem. This leads to 'quick-fix' maintenance that fails to tackle the root of the problem leading to more work and expense for local authorities and more frustration for the public," he said.
Local Transport Minister Norman Baker said: "Despite the current severe fiscal restraints we are providing £3 billion to councils for road maintenance over the next four years and an additional £6 million for longer-term strategies.
"On top of this, we are providing an extra windfall of £200 million to repair potholes on the local road network following the severe winter weather at the end of last year," he added.
"It, however, remains the responsibility of local councils to plan and manage their road maintenance programmes throughout the year including appropriate winter resilience measures."